TOS - Vol 2, Pt 3, Ch 27

The Overlord Saga

Vol II. Versus

Part III - The Elite

"Envelope order into chaos
An eternal midnight hence on
Vague memories of every life and loss-
Mere motivation to fight 'til dawn
The entire world balance upon a knife's edge
Between a winter heart and a firebrand
Annihilation teetering upon destiny's ledge
The sun shall see the world a wasteland."

Chapter 27: Sibling Rivalry

The Overlord was unsure what had lured her back to the Insurgent Leader’s campsite in the forests west of the Fortress, but she found herself standing among the ashes of what had once been their stronghold. Deserted, half-standing tents lay nestled among the trees, a tattered Insurgents’ flag draped on a branch nearby. The Grasshopper was rummaging through some of the supplies left behind, tossing a clump of moldy bread over her shoulder. The Theurgist was looking around, passing through tents and remaining silent as he explored the campsite. The Advisor sighed, arms folded, “It looks like people haven’t been here in years.”

“Cold ashes. No food. No sign of life. Yeah, why did we come here again?” the Soul-Keeper remarked, rolling his sleeves back, “They’re all in the Fortress, I bet. With air conditioning.”

“Don’t need air conditioning at the Fortress anymore. It’s half frozen over,” the Overlord retorted, standing up from where she’d been kneeling next to the fire. She sighed, glancing at where the Grasshopper had found a rusty dagger. ‘This is so unlike the Insurgents. Leaving all of this behind? I guess they really don’t need it anymore between Fort Effort and the Fortress being in their control now,’ the Overlord thought, brow furrowing. Nard stood a few feet away, sniffing the air with his ears perked.

“I wonder how the others are doing,” the Advisor sighed, “Hopefully they’re having better luck than we’re having.”

“Well, I was hoping we wouldn’t have to storm the Fortress. But I guess the Insurgent Leader leaves me no choice...” the Overlord mumbled, gesturing towards a path leading away from the tents, “That leads to the plains. From there, we can survey the situation and figure out our next plan. I-”

“I didn’t know you had a bright crimson pimple on your neck,” the Soul-Keeper reached over with a hand, pointing at a red dot that had appeared on the Overlord’s neck. As the Overlord turned to see what the Soul-Keeper was referring to, the Soul-Keeper noticed the red dot had traveled to the back of his hand as he had tried to touch her neck. “Huh?”

“Get down!” a voice yelled and the Overlord dropped to the ground as a bullet whizzed overhead. Dragging the Soul-Keeper with her, she heard something hit the ground, her heart thundering in her ears. The Overlord heard a second gunshot, but could not hear the bullet strike anything. Looking up from where she’d ducked behind a tent, she caught sight of a spike of ice, protruding oddly from the dirt. Incased near the tip was the bullet, preserved perfectly.

“DIB scouts?” the Advisor asked moving behind a tree and firing her machine gun at whoever was firing the sniper rifle.

“Not scouts,” Sexist answered from where he’d been standing behind a tree a few yards from the Overlord, “It’s the Rebel Commander.”

“Where the hell did you come from?” the Overlord snapped, glaring at the ex-Insurgent. Sexist merely shrugged it off, snapping his fingers to shatter the ice surrounding the bullet. The bullet fell to the ground, harmless. A few yards away, the Rebel Commander could be seen, tossing his sniper rifle away and grabbing a semi-automatic pistol from his belt.

“Do you really care that I’m here?” Sexist quirked an eyebrow, glancing rather smugly at the Overlord, “Because if you do, I could just leave and let him shoot you all full of holes.”

“So snarky,” the Overlord commented, “You’re here, you might as well be useful.”

“That’s what I thought,” Sexist retorted with a satisfied gleam in his blue eyes.

“It’s great that you two are actually on speaking terms, it really is, but we’re sort of getting SHOT AT!” the Soul-Keeper yelled, returning fire via releasing a bolt of lightning. The Overlord nodded to the Soul-Keeper, then held up a hand, a swirling orb of fire appearing in her palm. Sending it out at the Rebel Commander, she was surprised as it was countered by a black and violet forcefield, ricocheting towards her. Sexist dosed it immediately with a blast of water, gaze darkening.

“The Insurgent Leader,” the Theurgist whispered to the Overlord, “He must be here as well.”

“Good,” the Overlord nodded to the Theurgist, catching an odd look from Sexist. She closed her eyes, then ducked out from behind the tent she’d been hiding behind. Sending a blast of green fire at the forcefield, she ducked as the Rebel Commander began firing bullets at her. The Advisor returned fire, gritting her teeth as the bullets from her gun sprayed the forcefield. As their attacks began bouncing back, the Overlord ducked, glancing up into the trees. Moving as stealthily as possible, the Grasshopper had leapt into another tree, katana in hand and looking down at where the Rebel Commander was firing at the ANF forces.

The Soul-Keeper rushed forward suddenly, knocking a bullet in mid-air (most likely accidentally) with his staff and sending a sudden, vibrating wave through the air, an earsplitting clap of thunder shaking the very foundations of the trees surrounding the battlefield. The Grasshopper leapt down then, the heel of her boot colliding into the top of the Rebel Commander’s head. He fell back, but kept a good grasp of his gun. Swinging it to bluntly whack the Grasshopper in the head, he found that his strikes were too slow for the lithe apprentice. Jumping back, she flipped, then landed on both feet, sword still in hand.

It was at that moment that the Overlord charged, staff in hand. A small, semi-transparent platform appeared before her and she leapt onto it, using the momentum from her first jump to carry her over the barrier the Insurgent Leader had set up. As the Soul-Keeper, the Advisor, and Sexist followed suit, the Overlord began scouring the bushes and trees for the Insurgent Leader, who had yet to reveal himself. As the Rebel Commander kicked the Grasshopper off of him, he pulled out a second gun and began firing at the Advisor, who dropped down to the ground, gun in hand. Sexist held up a hand and summoned an ice shield, his eyes maintaining their slight glow.

“There’s too many of them!” the Rebel Commander yelled, looking around the woods. “Insurgent Leader! Insurgent Leader!? What the heck? Where did you-”

The first hound came flying through the trees, its skin rough and clinging to its bones. With gnarled fangs and crooked horns, the hellion made quite a gangly sight as it leapt through the woods, clasping the Soul-Keeper’s arm in its fury. The Insurgent Leader could be seen a few yards behind the Rebel Commander, irises changing to a sinister violet. The Rebel Commander was taken aback by the sudden reinforcements, but continued firing his gun. Sexist moved to the side, brandishing his claymore and charging the Rebel Commander. Taking a bullet to the shoulder, the ex-Insurgent’s assault was hindered, but gave the Grasshopper the time she needed to recover and retaliate.

“Insurgent Leader!” the Soul-Keeper pointed at the Insurgent Leader, but merely whacked a second and third hellion with his staff, both ends ablaze with lightning magic. The Overlord summoned two more platforms, exchanging her staff for her sword as she leapt over the incoming hellions, flipped, then landed behind the Insurgent Leader. As he turned to face her, he drew Muramasa, his eyes still unnatural. The Overlord turned simultaneously, Kagi’s red-silver blade clashing with the long katana.

“What have you done to yourself,” the Overlord whispered, glaring into his violet eyes. “Some ‘hero’ you are. You’re beginning to outshine me as a villain and I can’t have that.”

“So you finally came out of hiding. Long time no see...” the Insurgent Leader’s voice was devoid of emotion and dead, his eyes blank and face expressionless. He pushed her away, a surge of energy pulsing through his veins as he lunged at her. The Overlord blocked his strikes, eyes wide as the Insurgent Leader’s left hand released the hilt to his two-handed sword. Reaching out and grabbing her by the collar, the Insurgent Leader tossed her up into the air before swiping at her. Twisting her body in mid-air, the Overlord’s heels caught the blade of the sword and she flipped, her katana flying from her hand. The blade ricocheted from the Insurgent Leader’s well-timed shield, landing back into the Overlord’s hand.

“Stop this now. This is all stupid...” the Overlord cast a glance behind at where the Overlings and Sexist were still dueling the Rebel Commander and the hellions. More discreetly, the Overlord added, “You’re my brother. I need you to side with me for once.”

“I’m not stupid,” the Insurgent Leader remarked.

“On the contrary...” the Overlord muttered, then charged at her brother, feinting a blow to the right, then kicking him in the shin. The Insurgent Leader retaliated with a swipe across the Overlord’s torso, cutting through her Earth clothes easily. She felt a splash of blood from the wound in her stomach, but it did not deter her. “I won’t stop until I’ve knocked the bullcrap from your little midget brain!” She hissed while their blades clashed once more. The Overlord caught sight of Nard fending off a hellion as the Grasshopper tried to mend one of her wounds. ‘They can’t handle this forever...!’

It was a spark of an idea, at first. An idea that the Overlord knew would only bring trouble later on. As the Insurgent Leader gave her room and paced, the Overlord extended a hand, eyes ablaze in anger. “Inritus!” The Overlord yelled, a swirl of black mist and fire sprouting from the ground, knocking the Insurgent Leader into the air. With two platforms, the Overlord followed the Insurgent Leader into the air, knocking him higher into the sky. He curled his body, twisting it around to where he could attack.

“Die!” the Insurgent Leader snarled, a web of magic entangling the Overlord temporarily, but a quick slice of Kagi defeated it. She grabbed his collar, then sent a wave of fire magic through him. As the two began to descend, the Overlord summoned a third platform, breaking their fall before they struck the forest floor. The Insurgent Leader picked himself up fairly quickly, then dusted himself off with a shaky hand.

“You don’t know... the things I’ve seen... What I’ve done...” the Insurgent Leader stammered, sheathing his sword, “But you’ll know my power, Overlord. It surpasses yours.”

A few bullets whizzed by the standoff between the two siblings, but the Overlord remained steadfast, the resolve in her eyes. “Show me,” the Overlord challenged, “Hit me with whatever you have... Baby brother.” The Insurgent Leader smirked, a blue light shining from his chest. His hands cradled the light for a moment, shielding it from view. However, his back began to arch, then he threw his head back, shouting something incoherent as the light erupted and took to the sky. Body encasing itself into a crystal, the light spiraled upward, taking the form of a Chinese dragon. As it landed before the Overlord, she felt a shudder run down her spine.

The dragon’s crimson scales rippled as it arched its neck, a puff of fire whisping about his nostrils. Tail thumping against the ground, the dragon’s yellow eyes narrowed as it looked at the Overlord, claws tightening against the ground. His back, face, and elbow lined with yellow fur, the dragon appeared as some oriental mascot come to life from ancient scrolls. The Overlord recalled a story about such a dragon, a story that had been the favorite of her younger brother’s when they had been children.

“Ryuu...” the Overlord’s katana remained in hand, dripping with blood. As the dragon reared up, the Overlord made her move, rushing forward, the Overlord made a move to plunge Kagi into the dragon’s chest, but found herself in the massive creature’s grasp, lifting up the clawed hand to its face. Clutching the Overlord in his palm, Ryuu’s jaws parted, revealing rows of polished fangs. A shower of bullets from the Advisor’s gun distracted the dragon long enough for the Overlord to pull free, her katana falling in the process. She dropped to the ground, rolled, then looked up at the maddened dragon.

“Overlord!” the Soul-Keeper yelled, his robe torn from the hellhounds. It was then that the Overlord noted that the hellions had vanished. The Rebel Commander was cornered by the Advisor and Sexist out of ammunition with his hands up. The Grasshopper held Nard in her arms, staring at the dragon as its tail lashed out at the Overlord. Leaping over the tail, the Overlord grabbed her katana, then began to strike when the dragon’s arm knocked her sword away again. Pulling out her staff, the Overlord sent two shots of magic at Ryuu, watching as it bounced away harmlessly. Frustrated, the Overlord retreated back a few steps, panting heavily.

“He’s magic resistant?” the Advisor gasped, grabbing the Grasshopper and holding her back, “Get back!”

Sexist tossed his claymore at the Overlord with relative ease, unable to hide a smirk as the Overlord caught it heavily in her arms. She held it with the tip dragging the ground, her eyes wide as her fingers wrapped around its hilt. There was some odd, wintery feeling about the sword that she disliked, reminded of the Nemesis’ piercing stare as she held the blade. As Ryuu’s head snaked forward, the Overlord took the claymore and began slicing at everything she could. As a spray of blood flew through the air, Ryuu’s claws pierced through the Overlord’s chest in the mayhem, tearing through her and slamming her into a tree. The claymore fell and embedded itself into the ground. Sexist grabbed its hilt and hoisted it up, spitting at the Overlings, “Are you going to sit there, or help?”

“I’ve got this...” the Overlord groaned, pulling herself up via branches. The Soul-Keeper helped her to her feet, clutching her tightly.

“Quit trying to be the hero,” Sexist glanced at the Overlord.

“We’ll finish this together!” the Grasshopper nodded confidently, setting Nard on the ground. The Advisor responded by putting in another round in her machine gun, then firing at Ryuu as the dragon began to encircle the ANF forces in a ring of fire. The Overlord staggered forward, four distinct claw marks engraved in her body. Extending her hand, she caught Kagi by the hilt, pupils dilated as she stared up at Ryuu.

“Don’t hurt yourself!” the Soul-Keeper hissed to the Overlord, staff in hand.

The Overlord sprang up with newfound strength, Sexist following her. As she sent two slices into Ryuu’s skin, she dodged his jaws, teeth missing her by inches. Sexist jammed his claymore between the dragon’s jaws, keeping its mouth open. It reared back, bullets striking its scales and digging into its skin. Tail lashing, Ryuu almost knocked the Soul-Keeper flat to the ground, but the Grasshopper was quicker, running up the massive creature’s back and jabbing the tip of her katana into his skull.

A deafening shriek cut through the once-silent forest, sending chills down the Overlord’s spine. “Get out of there, Grasshopper!” the Overlord screamed at her apprentice as she leapt from the dragon’s head. Ryuu reached up and snapped at the Grasshopper, snagging her boot and knocking her off balance. The apprentice hit the earth, but was relatively unharmed. In a flash of light, the dragon reverted back into its spiritual, blue form before returning to the Insurgent Leader. As the Insurgent Leader’s body fell to the ground, the Overlord sank to her knees, panting heavily.

“That was scary,” the Rebel Commander commented.

“Oh, quiet!” the Advisor hissed, pointing her machine gun at the Rebel Commander.

“Are you okay?” the Soul-Keeper asked, kneeling down before the Overlord. “You look awful! A-are you going to be okay? Dear God, your nose is bleeding!”

“My... what?” the Overlord asked, touching her nose lightly with a finger and realizing it was, “Oh... It’s nothing. Is Thomas okay?” She pushed herself up with her staff, then began to hobble over to him.

“He’s breathing,” Sexist bent down and examined the Insurgent Leader, “And he’s relatively unharmed. He’ll be fine.” Glancing back at where the Overlord had sat back down next to a tree, he frowned, tilting his head to the side, “You don’t look so good...”

“I’m fine,” the Overlord shrugged it off, “Just need some water and rest. He’ll be awake in an hour or so. Wait until then to do anything huge.”

“Glad to see you care so much about my well-being,” the Grasshopper added, still wiping dirt from her face where she’d faceplanted the ground. The Overlord grinned at her apprentice.

“Some hard work will do you good.”

---


Jamie had landed on a world she was completely unfamiliar with. But rather than stopping to ask for directions, going to a different world, or anything sensible, Jamie had decided that this world would be an excellent place to stock up on supplies. Granted, Jamie was broke since the repairs on her ship had cost a near fortune (one she intended on collecting from DIB in the future), so there was one method she had decided to go about collecting the supplies- stealing. She didn’t have a boat anymore, so she realized that this involved a plethora of physical labor (AKA- running).

While the Trojan Army and the Smurfs had chosen to stay with Jamie, most of them had kept to their small campsite off the coast of a river in what was apparently the ‘Kvatch’ region. Personally, Jamie thought this was quite amusing- only because she’d spent the first two days convinced that they were located in the ‘crotch’ region. Others, such as the Animal Tamer, had not found this quite as entertaining as the pirate. However, the Witch had been making a plethora of inappropriate jokes- none of which shall be mentioned in order to maintain a PG-13 rating on this story.

You see, Kvatch was a rather nice region, despite Jamie’s nicknames for it. Kvatch was actually the name of a nearby city that domineered the region. Kvatch was also known for having guards. And these guards were not your average guards- they were quite persistent. Anyone could see where Jamie was running into a slight dilemma with the guards. They simply would not stop following her. Granted, it was hard for them to really pursue her as she had taken the majority of their horses. However, apparently, word of the ‘horse-thieving woman’ had gotten around Kvatch pretty quickly. Her accomplices, usually the Witch, the Apprentice, and the Evocator, had gotten quite the reputation for thieving from Prior Maborel- some monk that had (before met by the ANF forces) a horse and quite an assortment of weapons in his church.

But this left the ANF forces being pursued relentlessly by the guards- and Jamie was rather certain that their infamy had spread from beyond Kvatch (to which, the Witch replied that they were like ‘crabs’- and to which the Evocator promptly facepalmed). However, thankfully, the guards had been unable to find the ANF campsite, which was primarily being maintained by the Scribe.

“I’ve finally figured out our location,” the Scribe looked at Jamie urgently from where he sat next to the fire one afternoon. Holding up a map, he gestured with a capped pen, “Cyrodiil. It’s a very medieval world, full of a bunch of nasty creatures, magic, weird lizard-things... the usual.” He cracked his knuckles, then added, “There should be a bunch of weapons here, though. If we know where to get them. My map indicates a few castles...”

“Castles. That sounds like fun,” the Apprentice grinned excitedly.

“We’re going to completely disrupt the balance this world needs, especially if it has so much crap going on,” the Evocator remarked blandly from where she sat, still playing her DS.

“Better disrupt another cliche medieval world than lose against DIB,” Jamie pointed out, “Soooo... Castle Kvatch? I’m thinking that’s our next stop. And we’ve got enough horses to get half the army there by now.”

“And all of the roads are crawling with guards looking for us,” the Animal Tamer pointed out.

“Just makes things more fun,” the Witch giggled, “The Overlord told us to get supplies by ‘any means necessary’...”

“Well, there’s a place south of here called Skingrad. We can raid their land next,” the Scribe suggested, “And I hear there are caves and forts around here, too. All probably guarded by bandits or something. Small prey, easy treasure. And we all know Jamie likes treasure.”

“Soooo... What are we waiting for again?” the Apprentice clapped her hands together, “Screw being an Underling. I wanna be a pirate!”

“Ohhhh boy,” the Evocator sighed. “Just what we need.”

“Tomorrow, we make haste to Castle Kvatch. We take what we need. Annnnnd maybe a bit of gold, too,” Jamie announced, lifting her cutlass into the air. “We be pirates! Yarrrr!”

“YARRRRR!” the Apprentice yelled enthusiastically, flailing her arms into the air.